LOS ANGELES — The emergence of a more mature Kahlil Bell has given UCLA two No. 1 running backs, and the Bruins will continue to use them that way, Coach Karl Dorrell said Monday.

A year ago, Chris Markey handled the football more than twice as often as Bell, Derrick Williams and Chane Moline in becoming the first player since Kermit Alexander in 1962 to lead the team in rushing and receiving.

Markey had 227 rushing attempts and caught 35 passes, while the other three backs combined for 232 rushing plays and 15 receptions.

But in the Bruins’ 45-17 victory at Stanford on Saturday, Markey rushed 20 times and Bell 19 and both were on the receiving end of one pass from Ben Olson.

“We’re going to do the same type of production again,” Dorrell said.

Bell was far more productive with his 19 rushing attempts, gaining 195 yards and averaging 10.3 yards per carry compared to 71 yards and 3.5 yards per play for Markey. Bell had runs of 14 and 59 yards in the first half, and 31, 22 and 11 yards in the second.

Markey, who was stopped nine times by the Cardinal with a gain of 2 yards or fewer, had a few plays disrupted by missed blocking assignments up front or by the fullback.

“He had some unfortunate circumstances on some of his carries,” Dorrell said.

But together they give the Bruins two diverse styles and one solid running game. Markey is the smoother of the two, while Bell is more of a downhill runner.

“I think it helps adding a new dimension to our run game,” Dorrell said. “We’re going to try to share duties with both those guys because they’re both very good players and we’re going to continue to do that. Our goal is to make sure they’re both being highly productive.”

Familiar foe

Olson took some heat after turning his back on BYU and transferring to UCLA after his two-year church mission. There might still be some hard feelings in Utah, but the Bruins quarterback has been a master of diplomacy and tact on all questions regarding his former team, which plays UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

“That’s one of the things that I’ve come to understand, is that you’re going to make decisions in life and people are always going to second guess, maybe, some of your decisions,” he said. “But one of the most important things that I’ve come to understand is that as long as my family is behind me and they understand and believe that what I’m doing is the right thing, then that’s all that really matters.”

Notes

The Bruins will be without fullback Michael Pitre for a second consecutive game. The senior, out indefinitely because of a bone bruise on his left knee, is feeling better but has yet to be cleared to return to practice. …

Chane Moline (Mission Viejo High), who has a broken bone in his wrist, has a chance to play against BYU. “He is getting re-splinted, so he’ll practice this week and we’ll see,” Dorrell said. …

Olson said he had received one phone call from a former BYU teammate — linebacker Bryan Kehl. “He was actually my roommate my freshman year there, so it wasn’t a malicious message in any sense. We’ll probably just chat it up a little bit and have a friendly conversation,” Olson said. …

The Cougars come in riding an 11-game winning streak, with the most recent victories coming against Pac-10 teams. Brigham Young beat Oregon, 38-8, in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl and Arizona, 20-7, in its season opener.